How to Play Hasami Shogi
Hasami Shogi ("intercepting chess") uses shogi pieces and a shogi board but none of shogi's rules: everything moves like a rook, and you capture by trapping enemy pieces between your own.
The board and pieces
A 9×9 board. Nine pieces each, filling the row nearest you. White moves first.
Moving
A piece moves any distance along a row or column through empty squares, like a rook. No jumping, no diagonals.
Capturing
- After your move, any unbroken line of enemy pieces lying between the moved piece and another of your pieces, along a row or column, is captured. Several lines may fall at once.
- An enemy piece in a corner is captured when both squares next to it are yours.
- Moving your own piece between two enemies is safe: only the mover captures.
Ending
The first side to capture five pieces wins. A side with no legal move loses; fifty moves without a capture is a draw.
Playing on kawu
Tap a piece, then its destination. Hint shows the hard computer's move. Play either colour against three levels, or two players on one device.
Next: Hasami Shogi strategy.
Frequently asked questions
Is my piece captured if I move it between two enemy pieces?
No. Only the moving player captures. A piece that steps into a sandwich is safe until an enemy moves to close a new line around it.
Can I capture more than one piece in a move?
Yes. Every unbroken line of enemy pieces that your moved piece closes against another of your pieces is taken, in up to four directions at once.
How many captures win?
Five on kawu, the common quick rule. Traditional play continues until one side has fewer than two pieces, which takes much longer.
Last updated 2026-10-21